We now have access to a relatively inexepensive (let's hope Neato makes it even cheaper) lidar unit that gives 360 degrees of distance data out to 6 meters, at a rate of 10 hz and in 1 degree increments. Pretty cool stuff.Lots of thanks to Trossen Robotics, RobotNV, and RobotShop for chipping in to the bounty. There's also still $200 outstanding for the first person to demonstrate SLAM navigation with the unit (thanks to RoboDynamics).